The present invention relates generally to a process for removing air or fluid from a container. It relates, more particularly, to a process for removing air from a flexible plastic container having fresh meat enclosed therein.
In the packaging of food products such as fresh meat, it is conventional to maintain the container under a greatly reduced pressure in order to prevent oxidation and spoilage of the meat articles. The maintenance of meat articles in a substantially oxygen free environment not only prevents spoilage but maintains the meat articles in a substantially fresh state for considerably longer periods of time than is possible in an oxygen containing environment.
Conventionally food packages have been evacuated after placing the meat article within the container by placing the opened neck of the container around the exterior of a nozzle and extracting the atmosphere within the container through the nozzle. The state of reduced pressure is maintained within the container by clipping or otherwise closing the mouth of the container so as to make the entrance of air or deleterious substances highly unlikely. A problem associated with the prior art technique is the presence of a vacuum within the container which tends to collapse the neck of the container thus restricting the flow of remaining air from the container. Another problem of the prior art process is the entrapment of air at the back of the container due to the presence of irregularly shaped products within the container.